Work a ski season in Val D´Isere

The Xtreme Gap Year seasonnaire program gives you the chance to work a full ski season in one of Francis best ski resorts. It’s a great way if you want to do an entire ski season without a traditional chalet job, with the backup and support of our local coordinator you have a great opportunity to gain work in resort, with a ready-made group of friends who will help get you settled in and give you the best social experience possible. Staying in central accommodation in resort, you also have the option to train with state-of-the-art equipment we partner with one of the top ski instructor training centres in Europe.

Season Worker Highlights

• Spending your days hitting the slopes (when you’re not working) in one of the best ski areas in Europe.
• Access to job opportunities in resort with everything arranged for you.
• Additional training with students on instructor or extreme snow expert courses.
• Pre-course predeparture pack including travel information what to bring loads of travel advice in resort information.
• Help with finding work in resort for the season either part-time or full-time.
• Telephone or e-mail support is at your disposal prior to travel.
• This program includes local coordinator is based full-time in resort, centrally based accommodation, a seasons lift pass, safety lectures including for avalanche awareness lecture, and off piste equipment training.
• Boot fitting advice
• A host of various social events with the rest of the group
• Arrival dinner and Christmas dinner. (Meals are not included but there are cooking facilities at your disposal)

Photos

Xtreme TV

Val-d’Isdaire  Seasonaire

Imagine a whole season spent on piste. We’re talking day after day of fresh powder, breath taking scenery, hedonistic party nights and chilled out slope-side beers, all framed by a never ending succession of spine tingling, ‘best-I’ve-ever-had’ runs on some of the world’s finest ski terrain. Such is the life of a season worker; appealing isn’t it?

Of course you will need to earn money to fund your social life, fortunately we make it really easy for you to find a job in resort as well.

Our season long work assistance program course has been developed to be the most comprehensive of its kind, with the added pull of a totally new routine and lifestyle, and an extended, season long stay on-resort with a chance of a job as well.

Nestled in the Alps, amongst the sharp limestone cliff rises of the Tarentaise Valley, the enchanting French town of Val-d’Isère has gathered a mythic reputation as a resort centre of unparalleled beauty, apotheosised the world over for its unique position in the l’Espace Killy ski system. From here, there’s easy access to the 150 or more ski runs, ranging from beginner to expert (22 green runs, 61 blues, 46 reds and 25 blacks), which extend over an astonishing 300km of piste, currently served by 90 different ski lifts. Many skiers consider the selection of groomed slopes and off-piste, back-country terrain found at Val-d’Isère to be the best in the world, but we don’t want you to take their word for it. We want you to find out for yourself.

So, before you arrive we’ll get in touch with a ton of useful information, from resort packs to help in securing interveiws before you arrive. We have loads of contacts in Val-d’Isère, so getting something shouldn’t be hard at all!

What’s more, if you want to fill any gaps in the equipment arsenal, then you’ll get some great discounts from our partner suppliers, and can be waxing up some shiny new skis for your first alpine speed run before you arrive!

Your course hours focus mainly on specific techniques including carving, steeps, freestyle, variable snow condition skiing and freeriding, but there will be a comprehensive introduction to all aspects of ski instruction. You’ll get on-piste avalanche awareness seminars, training in the latest video analysis software suites, overnight mountain hut trips, heliskiing and kit testing sessions, along with a whole range of other benefits that come with the course. Off-piste, we’ve got seriously qualified injury prevention specialists on hand to give regular lectures, along with the ex-GB team specialist, Amanda Pirie, who’ll show you how to fine tune your gear to really hit your potential on the slopes.

Arrival

Saturday and Sunday – arrival, orientation, admin, settling in.

Having settled in a bit after the trip to resort, there is an informal drinks reception on Saturday evening to meet each other and some of your team of trainers. On the Sunday lift passes are issued and there is a resort orientation tour from one of the mentors. The rest of Sunday will be pretty free until the evening so you’ll have plenty of time to get up on the hill and find your feet. That night there will be a short meeting with the in resort Xtreme Gap mentors and course director to go over course details and watch an injury prevention presentation from the physiotherapists.

Job assistance

Often we find jobs for people before they even arrive, however with our extensive network of contacts we are able to source you jobs in various businesses throughout the resort. Typically this would be bar work, restaurant work or hospitality and retail. Please note jobs are available to those that pass interview for their respective employers, it is up to you to perform at interview – we can not guarantee you a job if you under perform at interview

Airport pick up

Airport transfers are arranged for a specific time from Geneva Airport to Val d’Isère at the start of the course and back to Geneva at the end of the course. Arrival outside of these times then transfer is not included.

Full lift pass

An Espace Killy lift pass is included in the cost of your instructor course. It covers the whole of the Val d’Isère and Tignes ski areas, which comprise over 300km of pisted runs. Val d´Isere also offers some of the best off piste access in Europe so let’s just say you will never have enough of all the places you can go. It was not just the quality of the training and quantity of inclusions that we offer this course, Val d´Isere and the Espace Killy ski region is one of the most beautiful skiing areas in the world. What better place to train for your snowsports instructor course?

Xtreme Gap Representation In Resort

At the beginning of the course everyone will have a detailed arrival orientation. You will meet your mentors the Xtreme gap representatives in resort, it’s a mixed team of guys and girls who have plenty of experience up the mountain. They are available to you 2-7 if you need.
If you have questions on anything from basic advice about kit and the course to a shoulder to cry on, we are always there to help.

Before you arrive

Xtreme Gap Year´s team will be there for you every step of the way from the first phone call or e-mail to the wave goodbye and beyond. You’ll receive a detailed predeparture pack with information such as what kit to bring, kit discounts, insurance suppliers, travel advice, resort information, handy telephone numbers and websites, and much more. We are here to help and easily accessible, so if you have a specific question then please do pick up the phone or drop us an email.

Discounts
We have arranged a variety of discounts on equipment and clothing through BASI, Surefoot, Action Cameras, Head, LD Mountain Centre and Climate for all students. A detailed list is provided in the pre-arrival information pack.

In-resort discounts also apply. These include seasonaire prices in bars and some restaurants, and additional ski school, physiotherapy, massage and pilates discounts. Many discounts also apply to your family and friends.

Accommodation

During your stay in Val d´Isere your home will be in a shared apartment centrally located in the main resort. Being located in resort we get to know gap year students well every year when they come to Val d´Isere. There can be upwards of 100 gap year students on ski instructor courses (through various companies) in resort every year so we get to know the stories about what everyone has to put up with accommodation wise! When setting up the program we ensured we paid special attention to providing great accommodation, ski in ski out and most importantly ensure that your experience is not soured by cramming too many people into a tiny apartment. There are a variety of flats that we use, all of them have cooking facilities and will be in a great location.
We want to reiterate you will be housed in Val d’Isère rather than down the road in La Daille.
The majority of GAP students in resort through other companies stay in La Daille- an ugly satelite village / communist block style development away from Val d’Isere itself. The biggest complaint that we have heard from previous GAP course students is about accommodation, particularly when it’s out of town so we provide central accommodation of the highest quality of any GAP provider.

Price

• £6200

Dates

The trip lasts 20 weeks:

Starts 29th November 2014